1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a dictation device for the storage of speech signals, comprising input means for receiving the speech signals and for supplying received speech signals, and comprising processing means, arranged after the input means, for processing the speech signals supplied by the input means, which processing means are adapted to digitize the applied speech signals and to generate data blocks comprising digital data, which data blocks comprise a header portion and a data portion, the data in each data block being organized in accordance with a specification comprising specification information, and generated digital speech data, which correspond to digitized speech signals, being insertable in the data portion of a data block, and comprising generation means adapted to generate designation records which are each associated with specification information and which can each be inserted in the header portion of a data block in accordance with the specification, and comprising memory control means for controlling the storage of digital data accommodated in a data block into a memory device.
2. Description of Related Art
Such a dictation device of the type defined in the opening paragraph is known, for example from a dictation system which is commercially available from the Applicant under the type designation VS 4000. This known dictation system comprises a personal computer including interface cards, dictation recording/reproducing stations and transcription stations connected to the personal computer via telephone lines, and at least one monitor connected to the personal computer for the optical reproduction of information. In this known dictation system the generation means are adapted to generate a plurality of designation records each associated with specification information, i.e. an author designation record, which designates the author of a dictation, and a data block designation record, which designates a data block--generally referred to as a "file"--having a given number, and a priority designation record which specifies the priority for the transcription of a dictation, and time designation records which specify the date and time of the beginning and the date and time of the end of a dictation, and a length designation record which specifies the length of a dictation in minutes, as well as a transcriber designation record which designates a certain transcriber who should transcribe a previously stored dictation. In the known dictation system VS 4000 the above-mentioned designation records can be included in the header portion of a data block in accordance with the relevant specification, specification information of the specification being assigned to each designation record.